Immediate action is needed to "prevent widespread death and total collapse of livelihoods and avert a catastrophic hunger crisis in Sudan," a United Nations-backed global authority on food security warned, Reuters reported on Friday.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) had been due to issue an update to its December analysis that found nearly 5 million were on the verge of catastrophic hunger. However, it was unable to do so due to the war. Instead, the IPC said it reviewed the latest evidence available and published the alert on Friday "to express major concern" about the deteriorating situation and to push for immediate action "to prevent famine."
The UN Security Council this month called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The US warned on Thursday that it would push the council to take action to get aid to starving people in Sudan, possibly by authorizing cross-border deliveries from Chad.
The IPC estimated that nearly five million people were acutely malnourished, of whom 3.6 million are children under the age of five and 1.2 million are pregnant or with baby women.